Charles e



C. E. HIESTER.

Improvement in Exercising-Clubs.

N0. 115,856, Patentedlune13,l871.

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CHARLES E. HIESTER,

OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

IMPROVEMENT IN EXERCISINGCLUBS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 115,856, dated J une 13, 1871.

jTo all whom it may concern:

Beit known that I, CHARLES E. Hrns'rnn, of New York, in the county and State of New York, have invented a new and Improved Exercising-Club; and I do hereby declare the fol lowing to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to theaccornpanying drawing forming part of this specifi cation, in which- Figure l is a side elevation of an exercisingclub constructed in accordance with my invention. Figs. 2 and 3 are llongitudinal sections of the saine, showing the means employed vior changing the weight.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several gures of the drawing.

To expand the chest and enlarge the breathing apparatus, thus improving our general health, the Indian-club exercises, so called, are claimed by our leading physicians to be the best known at the present day. It is customary to commence with a small pair of clubs, of from five to seven pounds7 weight, and advance gradually until one can wield with ease clubs oi' twenty or thirty pounds, or even much heavier. As the muscular power increases withconstant exercise the lighter weights are rapidly outgrown, andalarge number of clubs of dii'erent weights is required, involving much inconvenience and expense. This is the sole reason why such a healthful and desirable exercise is not more generally adopted.

Myinvention has forits obj ect to so construct a club that portions may be readily and easily detached, thus obtaining in a single club any weight desired; and, further, by shifting the center of gravity nearer to or further from the hand, to diminish or increase the leverage without altering the actual weight of the club. This is animportant feature, for we know if we swing a twenty-pound weight one foot from the hand it has on certain muscles quite a diderent effect from swinging the same weight at a great er distance. My invention consists in the peeuliar construction of the club', as will be hereinat'ter more fully described.

In the accompanying drawing, C is a shank or club, of wood or other suitable material, of convenient size and weight, turned down 'for a portion of its length to form a handle. The

body of the club is composed of a series of concentric rings, the exterior ones G H K L OR being so shaped as to impart to the club the requisite bulging form, as shown in Fig. 1. The interior rings S, one or more, tit snugly upon the shank C and upon one another, as shown, iilling the space between such shank and the exterior rings. The whole series is held upon the shank bym eans of pins T T passing through it at the outside of the end rings G B., which rings may be made either solid or in the form of shells, as shown. To change the weight oi the club, the interior rings S of one or more sections may be removed, as shown. In Fig. 2 all are removed with the exception of one section, and in Fig. 3 two sections are left. In

- order to hold the exterior rings in place upon the shank when the interior rings are removed, the former are constructed with ton gned-andgrooved edges, as shown at A B D E F. To remove the series of rings it is only necessary to take out the pin T and slip them off the shank C, as will be readilyunderstood. When the weight of the club is reduced, by removing all but one or two sections from the shank, pins W are passed through holes V1 to V5, one upon each side of the section, as shown in Fig. 2, or holding the sections together, as in Fig. 3. By changing the position of the interior rings the weight may be applied at any point of the shank C.

Il for any purpose it becomes desirable to reduce the size of the club, the change is effected in the following manner; The key T is removed from the hole V6 and the sections K, L, 0, and R, with the intermediate rin gs, slipped oi'f the shank, and G H moved along so that the pin T can be shifted to the hole V1. The sections 0 It are then replaced and the pin ll inserted in the hole VG. In this manner the size of the club is reduced by removing the two central sections K L and theirinterior rings. Instead of removing all the interior rings of a section, the smaller, or those immediately surrounding the shaft, only need be removed to diminish the weight.

If desired, part of the sections may be made in the form oi' plates without interior rings.

I am aware of the patent granted, respectively, to Geo. B. Winship, February 14, 1865, for dumbbells, John L. Dibble, April 23,1867,

for en exercising-club, and D. P. Butler, July tongued and grooved, all the parts being ar- 4, 1865, for dumb-bells; but l elimini nothing` rengedandeombined substantially asset forth.

therein shown as my invention. In Witness whereof I have hereunto set my Whitt I claim ishand. l

The exercising-club described, consisting of CHAS. E. HIESTERL the `shaft C provided with holes V to V6 for the Witnesses l v insertion of keys, and surrounded With eon- J. B. NONES,

centric Weights, the outer ones of which are E. A. NONEs. A 

